Veiling Holambra selects Confidex's RFID technology

20.2.2014, 01:26

São Paulo, Brazil - Confidex's RFID smart labels performed best during extensive testing, guaranteeing the traceability and identification of returnable assets of the biggest cooperative of flowers and plants in Latin America.

Veiling Holambra, the biggest cooperative and distributor of flowers and plants in American Continent, has partnered with Coss Consulting to supply RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) smart labels from Confidex, a Finnish company with global presence, including offices in Brazil and the United States. The RFID smart labels will be used for identifying and tracking over 1.1 million returnable assets from production and distribution centers, to delivery to customers including florists, supermarkets, and finally the return on the returnable assets. The returnable assets vary from baskets and carts to shelves, as an example. The project is expected to be completed in May 2014, on Brazilian Mother's Day eve, a period when the flower market is at its most active.

The deployment of RFID smart labels aims to improve the efficiency of logistics processes. Since the products, flowers, are perishable there are various critical goals to be monitored in the supply chain: to reduce the time of loading and unloading at product docks, ensure the accuracy of inventory control, reduce deviations and material losses in distribution, promote the reduction of operating costs and maximize financial results. The RFID smart labels will be read by mobile readers and fixed portals installed at the docks and in all logistics processes.

Jorge Possato Teixeira, Cooperative Logistics Manager and Francisco Roberto Pereira, Cooperative Logistics Coordinator at Coss Consulting, tells us how the Confidex Carrier Pro™, EPC Standard (Electronic Product Code) compliant UHF RFID smart label, was chosen. The selection procedure included extensive tests with labels from several manufacturers as well as a pilot test, where Confidex's RFID smart labels performed best among the tested products. Confidex's project experience, technical knowhow and delivery capability were also important factors. Coss Consulting was selected due to the comprehensive project scope, taking overall responsibility for the entire technology installation.

Confidex Carrier Pro™ is a specialty RFID smart label designed for tracking various returnable plastic container (RPC) types from crates to plastic dollies. The structure of the tag is designed to resist harsh washing processes which RPCs face during their lifecycle. These smart labels perform well close to content with high dielectric constant, meaning fruits, fish, flowers or anything that has high water content.

"We will eliminate the manual labor involved in collecting data from the assets. Previously, the reading process was carried out using bar codes and batch counting, which took too long and was subject to errors and fraud", Mr. Pereira says. "Several other gains are being considered: speed and accuracy of reading the data of each returnable asset, reducing operating costs and also meeting the security and management policies determined by Veiling Holambra management board", he continued. Other advantages of managing the assets using RFID smart labels, according to Pereira, include further automation in the management of the assets and integration with the cooperative's IT systems.

"Confidex is proud to have been selected for this project – the largest and most significant one of its kind in the region – thanks primarily to the excellent performance of our RFID smart labels, especially their durability and read range, as well as the local support we provide to our Customers and Partners" adds Alexander Dannias, Confidex General Manager for the region.